AADL Talks to Steve Amick

Wed, 05/15/2013 - 4:42pm by aadl staff

Author Steve Amick’s second novel Nothing But a Smile (2009) is a delightful love story of a man and a woman who choose an unconventional way to redefine themselves during and after World War II.

Called "kinetic and clever slice of 1940s cheesecake" by reviewers, it is set in 1944 Chicago when Wink Dutton, a former illustrator for Yank and Stars and Stripes (newspaper), discharged from the Service with an injury, rented a room above the camera shop run by Sal Chesterton, and became a willing collaborator once he discovered her astonishing secret enterprise.

Recently, Steve sat down with us and discussed why he picked the subject of the pin-up industry for the novel, the person very dear to him who inspired it, and how Argus Camera came to be a prominent element in the story. He also talked about growing up in Ann Arbor and being nurtured by a middle school teacher to write.

He shared his thoughts about living and working in Michigan (and his secret hideaway up north), favorite authors, parenting, and his choices for bedtime stories for his young son. We were surprised to learn that Steve is also a musician. Listen to this interview, and find out more about Steve from his website.

Introducing Judge #9 Teen Short Story Contest 2013 - Don Gallo

Fri, 05/10/2013 - 8:50am by Bertha

Editor Donald R. Gallo is a recipient of the ALAN Award for Outstanding Contributions to Young Adult Literature and the editor of several short story anthologies for teens, including the highly praised DESTINATION UNEXPECTED. The American Library Association includes his anthology SIXTEEN:Short Stories by Outstanding Writers for Young among the 100 Best Books for Young Adults.

A former junior high school teacher and university professor of English, Don Gallo currently spends his time as an editor, author, workshop presenter,
and interviewer of famous authors.

Don Gallo is also a Judge for this year's It's All Write short story writing contest for teens.

The panel of 11 judges will look at the finalists in three grade categories of 6-7-8 (Middle School), 9-10 (High School) and 11-12 (High School) and select the
winners who are announced at an Awards Ceremony on May 11, with A. S. King as guest speaker.

Introducing Judge #10 Teen Short Story Writing Contest 2013 - Jo Knowles

Fri, 05/10/2013 - 8:45am by Bertha

Jo Knowles is the author of teen novels, with most recently See You at Harry's c2012 and Pearl c2011.
She recently received the Crystal Kite Award for her book, Pearl, and prior to that was the recipient of the 2005 Pen Literary Award. Currently she lives in Vermont.

Check here for resources for writers she has
listed on her website.

Jo Knowles is also a Judge for this year's It's All Write short story writing contest for teens.

The panel of 11 judges will look at the finalists in three grade categories of 6-7-8 (Middle School), 9-10 (High School) and 11-12 (High School)
and select the winners who are announced at an Awards Ceremony on May 11, with A. S. King as guest speaker.

Introducing Judge #8 Teen Short Story Contest 2013 - Mac Barnett

Fri, 05/10/2013 - 8:41am by Bertha

Mac Barnett is a New York Times bestselling author of books for children, including Extra Yarn, which won a 2013 Caldecott Honor and the 2012 Boston Globe-Horn Book Award for Excellence in Picture Books. He also writes the Brixton Brothers series of mystery novels.

Mac serves on the board of directors for the 826LA, which you might recognize since we have one of these non-profit organizations dedicated to supporting students ages 6–18 with their creative and expository writing skills in Ann Arbor. Several volunteers from Ann Arbor's 826michigan screened stories for this year's contest.

Mac Barnett is also a Judge for this year's It's All Write short story writing contest for teens.

The panel of 11 judges will look at the finalists in three grade categories of 6-7-8 (Middle School), 9-10 (High School) and 11-12 (High School) and select the winners who are announced at an Awards Ceremony on May 11, with http://www.as-king.com/">A. S. King as guest speaker.

Introducing Judge #11 Teen Short Story Contest 2013 - Frances O'Roark Dowell

Fri, 05/10/2013 - 8:40am by Bertha

Frances O'Roark Dowell has published 11 books for teens and middle-grades fiction. She started with
Dovey Coe in 2000 which promptly won the Edgar Allan Poe Award and the William Allen White Children's Book Award.

In addition to the Edgar prize and William White award, her books have received other numerous awards, including the Christopher Award (Shooting the Moon),
the Voya Book Award (Where I’d Like to Be), and the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award for Excellence in Children’s Fiction, Honor Book (Shooting the Moon).

Frances says she writes from around 9 a.m. to noon on weekdays and has said she finds writing first drafts challenging and enjoys revising.

Frances is also a Judge for this year's It's All Write short story writing contest for teens.

The panel of 11 judges will look at the finalists in three grade categories of 6-7-8 (Middle School), 9-10 (High School) and 11-12 (High School)
and select the winners who are announced at an Awards Ceremony on May 11, 2 - 3:30 pm, with A. S. King as guest speaker.

Introducing Judge #7 Teen Short Story Contest 2013 - Lara Zielin

Thu, 05/09/2013 - 10:05am by Bertha

Lara Zielin's newest teen novel is Waiting Sky and tells the story of Jane McAllister, who decides to switch things up one summer and joins her brother chasing tornadoes, which gives her a fresh perspective, new options,and her first real romance. Lara is also the author of Donut Days a Texas Lone Star Reading List pick. Lara says "when I'm not reading or writing, you can find me running or working at the University of Michigan. Or obsessing about the Florida Keys, a place I love very much."

Ms. Zielin is also a Judge for this year's It's All Write short story writing contest for teens.

The panel of 11 judges will look at the finalists in three grade categories of 6-7-8 (Middle School), 9-10 (High School) and 11-12 (High School) and select the winners who are announced at an Awards Ceremony on May 11, with A. S. King as guest speaker.

Made in Michigan Writers Mad Lib Poetry Workshop

Wed, 05/08/2013 - 9:20am by hillary dorwart

Saturday May 18, 2013: 11:30 am to 1:00 pm -- Downtown Library: Multi-Purpose Room

Hey! It's a one-of-a-kind Mad Lib Poetry Workshop with the poets of the Made In Michigan Writers Series.

Team up with a famous poet to create a one-of-a-kind poem. After the poems are completed, they will be read aloud, followed by a reading of original poetry by the Michigan poets.

Books from the Made in Michigan Writers Series will be for sale. The event includes a book signing.

This event is for adults and teens (grade 4 and up).

Introducing Judge #6 Teen Short Story Contest 2013 - Justina Chen

Mon, 05/06/2013 - 9:17am by Bertha

Justina is an award-winning novelist for young adults, with her most recent book, Return to Me, called an "uplifting story" by Publishers Weekly.

North of Beautiful was named a Best Book of the Year by Kirkus and was given a starred review from Booklist. It tells the story of Terra, a sensitive, artistic high school senior born with a facial port-wine stain, struggling with issues of inner and outer beauty with the help of her Goth classmate Jacob.

In addition, she co-founded readergirlz a cutting-edge literacy and social media project for teens, which won the National Book Award for Innovations in Reading. She lives in Washington with her two children, and you can visit her online at justinachenheadley.com.

Justina Chen is also a Judge for this year's It's All Write short story writing contest for teens.

The panel of 11 judges will look at the finalists in three grade categories of 6-7-8 (Middle School), 9-10 (High School) and 11-12 (High School) and select the winners who are announced at an Awards Ceremony on May 11, with A. S. King as guest speaker.

Short Story Celebration for Grades 3-5 with Guest Speaker Shutta Crum - Monday, June 3

Fri, 05/03/2013 - 2:10pm by Bertha

Shutta Crum writes books for kids and poetry for adults. She is also our guest speaker at the upcoming Short Story Celebration to honor all kids in Grades 3-5 who submitted a story for this year's debut short story contest. Shutta is also a storyteller, an energetic and humorous public speaker, and a librarian. In addition to her current twelve published books she has three more coming soon.

100 stories were turned in for this contest and all those 100 writers are invited to join in celebrating writing on Monday, June 3, at the Downtown library's multi-purpose room from 7-8pm. All writers will receive a certificate of participation and the top three writers from each grade will be announced.

If you are inspired to try your hand at writing a story, check here for some great writing resources for grades K-5.

"Love the writing, love the writing, love the writing . . . the rest will follow." Jane Yolen

Author A. S. King Discusses Her Work And Announces The Winners Of The 2013 Teen Short Story Contest

Wed, 05/01/2013 - 10:21am by Bertha

21 Years celebrating teen writers, with this year's contest bringing in 335 submissions, is a lot to celebrate. The Awards Ceremony, where Finalists are honored and winners are announced will take place on May 11, Saturday, from 2 - 3:30pm at the downtown library. Speaking to the teens and their families is award winning A. S. King whose book, Ask the Passengers just won the 2012 L.A. Times Book Prize.

One of my favorites is Everybody Sees the Ants, which was an Andre Norton Award finalist, a Cybils finalist, and a 2012 YALSA Top Ten book for young adults. Her 2010 YA novel, Please Ignore Vera Dietz was a 2011 Michael L. Printz Honor Book, an Edgar Award Nominee, a Kirkus Reviews Best Book for Teens 2010, a Junior Library Guild selection and a YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults pick. Her interests are varied with experiences in farming, photography, and teaching adult literary, to name a few.
Reality Boy is due in Fall 2013 as well as two anthologies.

All finalists have been notified and the top three winners will receive $250 for 1st, $150 for 2nd Place, and $100 for 3rd Place in three grade categories. All finalists will receive certificates honoring their achievements. Stories were judged by an impressive team of authors for teens.

We applaud all the teen writers for their creativity and talent!